One aspect of the game of tennis which may be considered irritating, is the need to retrieve balls which are hit into the net. If, for example, a player's first serve hits the net and comes to rest within the court, it may present an obstruction or hazard which needs to be removed prior to continuing play, thereby causing an interruption to the smooth flow of a game. Also, balls hit into the net at other times need to be retrieved, as do balls which are hit into the net when, for example, a player is practicing serves from alternative sides of the court using a number of balls.
The present invention provides an apparatus which automatically gathers balls hit into the net, preventing the balls rebounding onto the playing surface, guides the ball to a location at the side of the court, and, in a preferred form, projects the collected balls to the back of the court.